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Tuesday, December 15, 2009

It ain't about the money, honey...

On Sunday evening, the NXT did a show for about 80 policemen. Michelle Princi, a bartender at the theater, bought out the show for a fundraiser to help a family in need. At first, we heard them in the front room and we were nervous. They were loud, rambunctious and seemed like they’d be incredibly distracting during the show. We were right.

But, somehow we handled it well. And yes, they were rowdy – but it was a fundraiser for them. It was a time for them to get together and have some fun. And while it’s hard to perform for people who are yelling and talking to each other instead of paying attention to us, it was O.K. They were on board with us, they liked us, and towards the end of the show – we had them on our side. It was a super fun experience and it was great to meet them all after. They were very appreciative for our time and very happy with the show.

And then Michelle gave us some leftover bottles of wine and some cash. The NXT doesn’t get paid, so it was our first paying gig! I went to give Matt a high-five, but he hugged me and said, “Patty, this isn’t a high-five occasion. This is a hugging moment.” So we hugged. And Jeremy said, “You guys know you both do shows where you get paid and have been paid for improv before right?” In fact, I had done a show the previous night where I got paid. But we didn’t care. It was a momentous occasion.

And best of all, they ended up raising $9,000 for the family. Which is incredible. Policemen may be loud and crazy, but they sure know how to give!

Tickets.

To my dad. Who *still* uses MY license plates for his car. So, I get the notices when he doesn't pay. So, I end up paying them.